The SLS will carry man to Mars one day and is made for the Orion crew capsule

NASA has
announced thedesignfor its new launching system for transporting astronauts out of
Earth orbit to the ISS and into deep space. The new Space Launch System or SLS is
designed to carry the Orion
Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle and cargo (i.e. science experiments and
equipment). The SLS is an advanced heavy lift vehicle that will also be used as
the backup for commercial and international partner transportation to the ISS.

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure
continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the
world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "President Obama
challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at
NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, kids today can now dream
of one day walking on Mars."

The SLS rocket will use some of the technological investment from the Space
Shuttle and the Constellation programs which allows the SLS to take advantage
of proven hardware and technology. This use of existing technology will allow
the development and operation of the SLS to be cheaper than designing all-new
technology. The space shuttle program tech that will be used include the core
stage and J-2X engine for the upper stage.

The SLS will also use the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters for the initial
development flights, with future follow-on booster design completed and
developed based on affordability and performance requirements. The SLS will use
a liquid power rocket with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The benefit of
liquid engines over solid engines is that the liquid type can be shut off if
needed whereas once a solid booster is lit there is no stopping.

The launch
vehicle will initially have a lift capacity of 70 metric tons and will be able
to evolve to handle 130 metric tons. The SLS is designed to allow NASA to
tailor the system using a modular design to support the weight launched into
space.

NASA notes
that the first planned development flight is set for the end of 2017.

"NASA has been making steady progress toward realizing the president's
goal of deep space exploration, while doing so in a more affordable way,"
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver added. "We have been driving down
the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways
of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each
year."

MSNBCreports that the SLS
will eventually be able to lift as much as 165 tons of people and gear into
space. The Saturn V booster that took man to the moon could lift 130 tons by
comparison. The space shuttle,
whichflew its last missionin July, could only lift 27 tons into orbit and the current
largest unmanned rocket can only carry 25 tons to orbit.

NASA pegs the cost of the program at about $3 billion yearly with total
development costs adding up to $35 billion. The cost to get the SLS ready for
its 2017 test launch will be $18 billion with $10 billion in rocket cost, $6
billion to the Orion capsule, and the launch pad for the SLS costing $2
billion. NASA'sbudgethas been a major concern for future space flight in America.

Safety is a side issue. Astronauts know this. They take risks that few others would or could.

The shuttle, despite being costly, captured the minds of our public, which is extremely valuable. It was also very flexible and versatile once in orbit, unlike a manned capsule. This versatility allowed it to fill a large number of roles rather than a specially-built capsule. It wasn't perfect, but it did help us separate from simple orbits to actually being able to do things in space.

I'll miss the shuttle, for sure. I want us to get to Mars, but I also would like us to develop an independent spacecraft allowing true spaceflight. The shuttle was a stepping-stone in that direction.

"This versatility allowed it to fill a large number of roles rather than a specially-built capsule"

This is true, but there are other plans to do all that other type stuff, there are cargo plans, and research plans - much of which is now able to be done on the ISS now.

Regardless, the shuttle was intended, and designed to be cheaper and safer than standard rocket tech ala 1960's/70's and it was neither. The only real shame of it all was that it took so long to determine that. The rest is just nostalgia.